Luke Littler's controversial celebration during his Premier League Darts quarter-final loss to Gian van Veen has sparked a heated debate in the darts world. The world No 1, who had won back-to-back tournaments in Dublin and Berlin, suffered a 6-5 defeat to the Dutchman in Manchester despite being the heavy favorite on home soil.

The match turned contentious when Van Veen missed double 15 while attempting to close out the match at 5-3. Littler's reaction to the miss - gesturing angrily toward the crowd - drew sharp criticism from his opponent. Van Veen, who had been struggling with kidney stones that forced him to miss the Dublin tournament, recovered to win the deciding leg after Littler failed to capitalize on his own opportunities.

Van Veen accused Littler of being "not a good loser," specifically targeting the 17-year-old's celebration of his missed double. "Celebrating a miss from your opponent, that really annoys me," Van Veen told Sky Sports. Darts commentator Wayne Mardle supported Van Veen's perspective, suggesting Littler "got caught with his hand in the cookie jar" and wouldn't repeat such behavior. The incident overshadowed what was otherwise a remarkable comeback victory for Van Veen, who hadn't won since week four of the competition.